LIEUTENANT COMMANDER (N) PRASANNA ERIYAWA ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE SRI LANKA COAST GUARD SHIP “SAMUDRARAKSHA”

On the 23^rd of September 2023, Lieutenant Commander (N) Prasanna Eriyawa assumed duties as the 7th Commanding Officer of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard Ship Samudraraksha, which is one of the two oil spill-capable ships in Sri Lanka Coast Guard.

The Change of Command Ceremony was graced by Director of Personal & Administration Captain (ND) PS Paranavithana, USP, psc, MSc (D&SS), Following a vibrant ceremony held at SLNS Dakshina in Galle harbour, the former Commanding Officer of the ship, Lieutenant Commander (ASW) M Salinda, formally handed over his duties to his successor. The proceedings of the ceremony concluded after a division inspection conducted by the new Commanding Officer.

This vessel was constructed at the Sumidagawa Shipyard in Tokyo, Japan in 2018 with funding from JICA and is capable of performing tasks such as marine pollution control, conducting surveillance patrols, Search And Rescue (SAR), Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR), as well as boarding operations at sea.